If I were in your shoes, I would go to http://lmcecompatible.com and order a hybrid from there. The advantage is, you get equipment that is known to work. And *if* there is a premium, you know it is a) for a good cause, b) deserved, because the stuff has been verified to work.

You will get lots of different advice. My reasoning for directing you towards tested machines and pre-installed hardware is, that you experience will be much nicer. Adding BYOD later, after you have made yourself at home with LinuxMCE is a much better way.